At last; a bank-owned, newer one-story on a decent lot at an attractive price - only $164 per sf: The previous owners refinanced in October, 2006, getting two loans that totaled $1,140,000. Six months later they got a new second, and another $60,000 cash-out, rounding...
Month: May 2009
Crack Consumption
Houses under $200,000 are blowing off the market, usually with multiple offers. This one closed yesterday, a 3br/1.5ba, 1,062sf house built in 1961 in virtually original condition, whose elderly owner just went off to assisted living: The buyer of this house, an...
Government Gone Crazy
From today's Union-Tribune: By ALAN ZIBEL, The Associated Press 12:24 p.m. May 29, 2009 WASHINGTON — Thousands of first-time homebuyers will be able to get short-term loans so they can quickly make use of a new $8,000 tax credit to pay for some of the costs of buying...
Reselling REOs
Remember this one from 18 months ago? It's the 4,453sf house in Rancho Carrillo that Wells Fargo foreclosed on when they couldn't get $1,000,000 at the trustee sale. Optimistic, they listed it for $1,100,000 in October, 2007. In the first week they received an offer...
Sellers’ Disease
Everywhere you go, it's the same mantra with sellers. From this week's Barron's: http://online.barrons.com/article/SB124303118257848425.html?page=sp "I'm paying all of this insurance and property tax, and I rarely use the property," says Bill Hutchinson, a...
Get Rich Quick
People ask all the time, where are the buyers coming from, and what is motivating them? Yesterday in a couple of comments mentioned that people are tired of waiting, and want to settle down with their families. But there will always be the get-rich-quick crowd. Robert...
Aviara Resort and Home Values?
The Four Season Aviara Resort has been embroiled in a dispute between hotel owner and management. Here's a link to today's U-T article on the judge sending the case to arbitration:...
Carlsbad Test – Are Fixers Selling?
This video was taken a couple of months ago when it went pending, and a good example of how the market has warmed up on the lower ends of every market. It's the type of house that is easy to pass on - even if you were a handy fella and wanted a fixer, you're stuck...
Carmel Valley Pricing
In July, 2007, I sold the house at 10503 Abalone Landing Terrace in 92130 for $1,199,000, which was the full list price at the time. Zillow has a follow-up program for properties logged under your name, and they send regular updates. Yesterday they noted that their...
Unintentional Transparency
In spite of the want and need for transparency in the business, there has been no willingness to expose a realtor's sales history or depth of experience - the consumer is left to their own devices to figure out how to chose an agent. The REIC powers-that-be have...